Hot and Free. Der Jazz im geteilten Berlin, 1950-1970.Internationale Perspektiven des komponierten Jazz aus der DDR HANNES ZERBE QUINTETT

International Perspectives on Composed Jazz from the GDR

HANNES ZERBE QUINTET

Hannes Zerbe – piano

Silke Eberhard – sax

Gebhard Ullmann – clarinet

Horst Nonnenmacher – bass

Christian Marien – drums

Hannes Zerbe, one of the most important composers and pianists of GDR jazz, takes center stage on the third evening of the series “Hot and Free? Jazz in Divided Berlin, 1950–1970.”

Zerbe has been shaping the development of modern jazz in the GDR since the 1960s. While many jazz musicians turned to free jazz, Zerbe developed a musical language all his own, in which composition, improvisation, and contemporary music merged. His works combine jazz with influences from classical music, literature, and contemporary music, establishing him as one of the most important representatives of composed jazz in Germany.

With the Hannes Zerbe Quintet, the pianist presents selected compositions that illustrate the extraordinary sonic universe of his own works and those of some of his contemporaries.